Tsumeb.com

8 February 2015

The Tsumeb mine, one of the most iconic mineralogical localities in the world, has been the subject of many fascinating books and papers. But now, with the backing of some of the most noted Tsumeb collectors and academics, it is with great pleasure that Crystal Classics announce Tsumeb.com.

Before the 4th of February, it was a little known fact that Crystal Classics were working on something truly exciting. Tsumeb.com is the result of years of planning and research by a small, core team of contributors and the 4th February 2015 was the first time they, along with a select group of others, would see the project coming into fruition.

The objectives were simple; deliver a world-class website providing comprehensive information, for free, to all levels of the mineral world. It was important that anyone, from a novice, right the way through to an academic, could access the data and rely on the content.

It was exciting to see so many people interested in the subject and with the prospect of a demonstration, followed by a glorious dinner, people came from far and wide.

People gather in preparation of the presentation

The evening began with an introduction from Ian Bruce, owner of Crystal Classics. He surmised the evening and, as an added bonus, gave a short presentation, detailing previous attempts at specimen mining, courtesy of Shields Flynn. This gave a rare insight into the condition of the site in the post industrial age of the mine.

Ian Bruce Introduces the evening by presenting a short slide show

After this, the presentation was handed over to Liam Schofield who finally revealed Tsumeb.com

Liam Schofield Introduces Tsumeb.com

Tsumeb.com temporary landing page

The site was demonstrated using a touch screen device which illustrated the dynamic look and feel of the site.

Liam made sure to mention that the site was very much still a work in progress, with certain page functionality unavailable for demonstration. Additionally, much of the site data was unpopulated.

Even so, that did not prevent a run through of functionality with some details regarding the first phase.

search over view

Here a general, list view was demonstrated with the option to implement an enhanced search, filtering by such things as chemistry, colour or group.

Individual specimen entry in the database

The specimen card itself displayed the specimen with necessary species information. This certainly isn’t complete but it shows the future design and layout of the site.

Along with mineralogical information, the site will provide insight into the history, the geology, mineralogy and the people behind what has made Tsumeb such a mineralogical mecca.

Home page

The future of the site is equally as exciting with a plethora of additional features coming in the coming months and years. A full launch is planned within the coming months so keep an eye out for further announcements.

Following the presentation by Liam, Malcolm Southwood and John Schneider also spoke regarding the data integrity of the site, photographic and documentation techniques as well as outlining the goals of the project.

Malcolm Southwood and John Schneider provide information on photography and data requirements for Tsumeb.com

Mal and John ran through what was required for the site, highlighting the importance of a number of things. For example, mineral specimens uploaded must have been subject to adequate identification and analysis, where necessary. Each image should be captioned appropriately to ensure the information shared is useful to those using the site and that the images themselves will be of a high standard.

With the presentation complete, the guests and presenters retired for a sumptuous meal prepared by Acacia, a local Tucson restuarant.